By Romeo San Vicente
Shankman's fairy tale
It appears that the long-in-development, live-action-meets-animation feature "Enchanted" will finally get a chance to say "once upon a time." The picture, having undergone director changes and rewrites since 2000, has landed on gay director Adam Shankman's already full plate. He's made room for it, though, and the production is on track. Names like John Travolta and Susan Sarandon and David Hyde Pierce were attached at first – and may still be. Meanwhile, Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon are considered the frontrunners to voice the lead of a peasant girl banished from her animated fairy-tale world to live-action New York City. There she must choose between loving a real man or returning to her Prince Charming. And yes, there'll be an Evil Queen. What's a fairy tale – or New York – without one?
'Grace"s straight man makes more music
You might be quick to guess that Eric McCormack or Sean Hayes would be the first male cast member from "Will & Grace" to go off and make a feature-length movie musical. But no. Actor-singer-composer Harry Connick Jr., also known as the resident heterosexual life partner for Debra Messing's Grace, has signed a deal to star in and produce a musical feature. Based on an idea Connick developed himself, "Ben Invention" is a romantic musical comedy about a man separated from civilization who decides to venture into it in search of love. It's the first project to come from Connick's production company, HC Prods, and the crooner will also – no surprise here – contribute original songs to the score. No word on other cast yet, but Romeo knows that Megan Mullally can carry a tune herself. Think about it, HC.
'Foxy' Amy gets animated
While Romeo waits breathlessly for the hilarious Amy Sedaris to get busy with her "Strangers with Candy" movie, his (and your) obsessive craving to see her perform will get its fix soon enough with a few smaller-scale projects. First she'll appear in the due-in-theaters-at-any-moment-now childbirth comedy from lesbian director Cheryl Dunye, "My Baby's Daddy." She'll also get the chance to work her weird magic on innocent young people when she voices the character of "Foxy Loxy" in the animated feature version of "Chicken Little." She'll be joining "Broken Hearts Club" star Zach Braff in the movie – that film's little chicken is this one's sky-fearing Chicken Little – as well as fellow voice talent Steve Zahn and, coolest of all, Don Knotts.
'His Girl' then, 'Her Guy' now
If you're going to "re-imagine" a great movie like "His Girl Friday," one that starred one of the most handsome bisexual men ever and one of the screen's most beloved female gay icons – that would be Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, by the way, kids – you'd better do it right. Well, writer/director Andrew Fleming ("Dick," "The Craft," "Threesome") will be getting his chance soon when he takes on the upcoming comedy "Her Guy Friday." The film, which has yet to be cast, will center on a testosterone-junkie war correspondent who ends up in an office job with a mean female boss. The usual battle-of-the-sexes ensues, but Romeo is trusting Fleming's writing skills and the spirit of the original film enough that, when the characters end up falling in love, they won't get too mushified in the process. Please?
